WESTPORT, CT – November 30, 2008. Nearly 700 people came to judge the first annual Chowdafest competition, sampling over 20 different chowders and soups from some of Fairfield County's best eateries. Stew Leonard’s took home top honors in the "chowda" category with their classic New England clam chowder while Soup Alley laid claim to "best soup" with their lemon chicken & rice soup.

The event was held Friday Nov. 28th and Saturday Nov. 29th at the Unitarian Church of Westport. Internationally famous musician, Jose Feliciano made a surprise visit and ranked all the soups & chowders. It was decided that his ranking would determine the winner in case of a tie, however there wasn't a tie. He thanked both the crowd and restaurants for supporting such a worthy cause during these economic difficulties and encouraged them to continue making a difference. The event benefited the Connecticut Food Bank. $3,400 dollars was collected along with car-loads of non-perishable food donations.

"We set out what we hoped to accomplish" said event organizer Jim Keenan. "We raised both awareness and money for the CT Food Bank, promoted our local economy and laid the foundation for what we hope becomes a fun annual tradition. We couldn’t have pulled this off without all these great eateries and the support of the members of the Unitarian Church".

People took their judging duties very seriously. Some people came in with a strategy, trying soups first, then chowders. Some devised a point scale. Parents took the opportunity to show their children the importance of voting since kids could vote too. It was noted that people were taking more time deciding on their favorite soups and chowders than they did deciding who they wanted for president in early November. One woman responded "it's because we have better choices to choose from this time", then laughed.

Almost 4,000 votes were cast overall. Block Rock Oyster Bar (Fairfield) took runner-up honors in the chowder category with their New England clam chowder while Stew Leonard's took home the runner-up distinction in the soup category with their lobster bisque. The Angus Restaurant (Fairfield) along with Southport Brewing Company (Fairfield) tied for third for total votes between their two entries; New England clam chowder and Butternut Squash & Apple Soup (Oyster Bar) and Russian Fish Chowder & Tuscan Root Vegetable Soup (SBC).

Voting was exceptionally tight among all competitors which included Conte's Market & Grill (Westport), Zest (Westport), DaPietro's (Westport), Tavern on Main (Westport) and Mansion Clam House (Westport). Entries included pumpkin soup, Italian wedding soup, Caribbean seafood bisque, chicken corn chowder, a Rhode Island clam chowder, Manhattan seafood chowder besides the traditional New England clam chowders and lobster bisques. A total of ten area restaurants competed in the event. Keenan noted that 12 other restaurants want to compete next year already. "It should make next year's event even better".

A trophy presentation is being planned for both champions later this week. While no official sponsor was associated with this event, both Cablevision and Success Printing of Norwalk supported the event with public service announcements and signage. For more information, please visit: www.chowdafest.org